On Oct. 28, 2001, PAL will restore a direct link between Manila and Melbourne, Australia. The service will be an extension of the current three-times-a-week operation to Sydney, which will now be routed Manila-Melbourne-Sydney-Manila.
Widebody Airbus 330-300 aircraft will continue to be deployed on the Australia route.
Also during the last quarter of the year, PAL will launch services to Bangkok and Shanghai.
The frequencies, timetables and aircraft types for both sectors are in the process of being firmed up, although PAL is eyeing a daily A330-300 service to the Thai capital and a five-times-weekly Boeing 737-400 operation to the Chinese financial hub.
Meanwhile, PAL will cut frequencies between Manila and Saudi Arabia from six to three times weekly starting Aug. 17, 2001.
The affected flights are those to Dammam, PR 656, and its return service to Manila, PR 657, which are operated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
PAL will continue operating its three-times-weekly service to Riyadh (PR 658/PR 659), scheduled every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
The reduction in the Saudi frequencies is temporary and is part of the effort to rationalize PAL’s route structure and deployed capacity in view of the worldwide economic slowdown.
Carriers throughout the world have been reviewing their routes in reaction to the downturn in major travel markets. Recent developments include the cancellation of flights by Northwest Airlines between Manila and Osaka, United Airlines between Hong Kong and New York, Swissair between Zurich and Shanghai, and KLM between Amsterdam and Ho Chi Minh.
PAL intends to restore the Dammam service as soon as economic conditions are favorable. In the meantime, the flag carrier continues to carry out its mandate of serving the traveling public, particularly Filipino workers, bound for the eastern Saudi oil city.
Passengers who have been ticketed will be endorsed to other carriers serving the route. Those whose flights do not have convenient connections will be provided with hotel accommodation in the transfer point.
PAL is also in talks with two Middle East carriers on establishing code-share arrangements with them on the Dammam route. This will allow PAL to offer seats to passengers on flights operated by the partner airline.
And in December, PAL will operate a number of special flights to Dammam to carry the expected heavy traffic of Filipino expatriates vacationing home for the Christmas holidays.
In another move consonant with its route-restructuring strategy, PAL will fold its Manila-Honolulu return service into its afternoon flight to Los Angeles, creating a new trans-Pacific service between Manila and Los Angeles with a stop in Honolulu both ways.
The new product (PR 108/PR109), to be offered three times a week starting Sept. 15, 2001, provides added value to passengers by giving them the option of breaking their journey in the Hawaii capital at no additional cost.
Meanwile, PR 102, the popular daily direct service to Los Angeles with convenient evening departures from Manila, will continue to operate to serve passengers desiring non-stop Boeing 747-400 service.